TEHRAN—Iran generated $2.5 billion in international tourism revenue over the past 12 months, mainly driven by holidaymakers from the neighboring states.“Iran’s international tourism revenues were between $2.5 billion during the past 12 months since President Ebrahim Raisi took office,” IRNA reported on Tuesday.Iran’s economy expanded at the fastest pace over the mentioned period year as eased COVID-19 restrictions boosted activity and tourism.In addition, traveling and tourism accounted for 3.1 percent of GDP in 2020 while the number hit 4.1 percent in 2021, the report said.The Islamic republic recorded about three million foreign tourist arrivals during the period.

Last September, the country initiated preliminary steps for a bounce-back, restarting the issuance of tourist visas following a 20-month hiatus, and easing COVID-19 protocols for fully vaccinated passengers.Regarding domestic travels, according to the tourism minister, Ezzatollah Zarghami, the country has regained its pre-coronavirus status.

“According to the forecasts of the World Tourism Organization, global tourism will return to the normal state (before the coronavirus pandemic) by the end of 2024.

However, we returned to normal earlier than the forecasts of international organizations,” the minister said.“Domestic travel has achieved some 40 percent increase compared to the pre-coronavirus period,” Zarghami said last week.Experts believe even before the pandemic, Iran’s tourism was already grappling with some challenges, on top of those Western “media propaganda” aimed at scaring potential travelers away from the Islamic Republic.

They say Iran is still somehow “unknown” to many potential travelers due to such a “media war.”The minister added one of the priorities that his ministry follows was to develop tourism ties with the neighboring countries.“Our priority is to strengthen relations with neighboring countries and now we are pursuing the project of cheap overland travels with neighboring countries.”Travelers from Iraq and Afghanistan were the main source of tourism for Iran from October 23 to December 22, 2021.

Over the past couple of years, neighboring Iraq has been one of Iran’s most important markets for tourism and pilgrimage.

In January, the deputy tourism chief Ali-Asghar Shalbafian announced that Iran had renewed arrangements to facilitate travels for Iraqi nationals.

“For Iraqi tourists visiting Iran, a new system has been implemented to ensure their safety and comfort.”Before the pandemic, Iran’s tourism had constantly been growing, reaching more than eight million visitors in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (started March 21, 2019).

That surge, however, helped prejudices to become thick and thin.Iran’s trump card is that the country benefits from a wide variety of travel destinations ranging from seacoasts and lush green woods to towering mountains and harsh deserts.

As a wallet-friendly destination with hospitable people, Iran has long been a desired destination for nature lovers, birdwatchers, powder chasers, culture devotees, pilgrims, museum-goers, foodies, adventurers, and medical travelers, to name a few.Experts believe that mass COVID-19 vaccinations, consecutive fam tours for foreign tour operators, easing travel procedures, and fresh strategies, altogether, suggest Iran is determined to experience a tourism rebound with a greater reliance on its numerous tourist spots of which 26 are UNESCO World Heritage, and above all, its welcoming people.AM